Subtitle Edit

by Nikse

Free open-source subtitle editor with broad format support.

TL;DR

Free open-source subtitle editor with broad format support.

Best for fansubbers and professionals who need precise subtitle timing across many file formats. Pricing: free.

Category
Desktop apps
License
—
Stars
—
Last push
—
Pricing
free
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux

What it is

Subtitle Edit is the free Swiss-army knife of subtitle editing — supports 200+ subtitle formats, OCR, waveform-driven timing, and many translation engines.

Best for: Fansubbers and professionals who need precise subtitle timing across many file formats.
Watch out for: Windows-first; macOS / Linux builds rely on Mono / Wine in some configurations.

Install / use

nikse.dk/subtitleedit

Features

Speaker diarizationNo
Word-level timestampsNo
Streaming / real-timeNo
Languages supported35
HIPAA eligibleNo

Subtitle Edit vs Whipscribe

FeatureSubtitle EditWhipscribe
CategoryDesktop appsTranscription APIs
Pricingfreefree beta
Speaker diarization—Yes
Word timestamps—Yes
Streaming—No
Languages3599
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb, API, MCP

Alternatives to Subtitle Edit

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Free Mac App Store Whisper app — drag, drop, done.

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Whipscribe is a managed faster-whisper + whisperX service. If you want transcripts without running infrastructure, paste a URL or drop a file in the form below — you'll have a transcript in seconds.